Handout 2

Question 1

Travel Agency assists individuals or groups who wish to do any of the following

Answer 1

o Take trips
o Plan different itineraries
o Make a reservation for tours, transportations, and hotels
o Obtain or prepare airline tickets
o Perform other related services

Question 2

A travel agency can serve as the source of information, especially for first-time travelers. It can provide a brief history, culture of the people, and specialties of a traveler’s target destination

Answer 2

Provide information and expertise

Question 3

A travel agency can recommend a specific mode of transportation or an airline schedule that best suits the client’s location preference, budget, and the purpose of the travel itself.

Answer 3

Recommend a particular destination, suppliers, products, and services that tailor fit the needs of the client

Question 4

A travel agency can assist in securing the necessary travel documents, such as a passport, a visa, and immigration clearances.

Answer 4

Assist in securing tourist or business travel documents

Question 5

an official travel document provided by the government of a country which proves that the owner is a citizen of that particular country. It also allows people to travel overseas.

Answer 5

passport

Question 6

an official document or mark made on a passport that will enable one to enter or leave a particular country.

Answer 6

visa

Question 7

A travel agency can determine the total cost of the travel arrangements and the issuance of the transportation documents and tour vouchers.

Answer 7

Take care of travel arrangements by placing a reservation, obtaining confirmation, and issuing corresponding tickets or tour vouchers

Question 8

If the travel arrangements made for a client’s trip didn’t go as planned due to unavoidable circumstances, and legitimate claims for a refund is in order, a travel agency may assist a client to secure the refund from the supplier of services

Answer 8

Assist in cases of refunds and cancellations

Question 9

If an accident took place during the tour or trip, the clients should be aware of what liabilities the agency can cover and which ones cannot.

Answer 9

Ensure the clients’ safety

Question 10

travel agencies can help clients maximize their tour/trip, most especially for those who have limited time.

Answer 10

Make time-saving itineraries

Question 11

a travel document that serves as a record of the schedule, timetable, agenda, program, tour, destination, accommodation, and mode of transportation for a trip or tour

Answer 11

itinerary

Question 12

Skills Required in Travel Agency Management

Answer 12

• Verbal and written communication
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Problem-solving
• Initiative
• Planning and organizing
• Interest and willingness to learn
• Technology-savvy
• Ability to think on one’s own feet
• Maturity
• Ability to create rapport with different kinds of people
• Confidence
• Leadership

Question 13

the ability to speak clearly and directly, to establish and use
networks (people-connection) and fluency in other languages aside from English.

Answer 13

Verbal and written communication

Question 14

the ability to know how to define one’s role as a member of a team and identify the strengths and weaknesses of team members.

Answer 14

Ability to work independently and with a team

Question 15

the ability to develop creative, innovative, and practical solutions, to show independence and initiative to identify and solve problems, and to resolve customer concerns about complex project issues.

Answer 15

Problem-solving

Question 16

can translate ideas into action, generate a range of options, and identify opportunities not
obvious to others.

Answer 16

Initiative

Question 17

can manage time wisely and set priorities, can allocate people and other resources to tasks, and is resourceful.

Answer 17

Planning and organizing

Question 18

has the enthusiasm for continuous learning, open to new ideas, and has the ability to acknowledge the need to learn to accommodate change.

Answer 18

Interest and willingness to learn

Question 19

has a foundation of basic information technology (IT) or computer skills, which includes documentation, research and support, and able to use IT to organize data and use technology as a means of communication.

Answer 19

Technology-savvy

Question 20

the ability to think and react quickly

Answer 20

Ability to think on one’s own feet

Question 21

has a sense of responsibility.

Answer 21

Maturity

Question 22

has no issue to work across different ages irrespective of gender, race, religion, or political persuasion.

Answer 22

Ability to create rapport with different kinds of people

Question 23

the ability to express oneself confidently and has self-recognition.

Answer 23

Confidence

Question 24

has adaptability or the ability to adjust to change; team-oriented; being positive at all times to motivate others; and passionate in one’s craft.

Answer 24

Leadership

Question 25

Travel Agency Revenues

Answer 25

* Package tour commission * Hotel room reservation commission * Transport booking commission * Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) commission * Transaction of foreign exchange commission * Insurance commission * Revenue from bank interests * Revenue from card payments

Question 26

Travel agencies sell package tours directly to customers on the price printed on tour brochures, making them earn commissions or incentives after selling the suppliers' products and services which are inclusive in package tours.

Answer 26

Package tour commission

Question 27

Travel agencies generally find the sale of hotel rooms for a certain duration as very profitable and attractive than other sources of income

Answer 27

Hotel room reservation commission

Question 28

Earning commissions for reservation of ground transport is a traditional source that a travel agency heavily depends on while booking different types of transports for their own clients.

Answer 28

Transport booking commission

Question 29

Travel agencies organize MICE activities for business houses and companies. Specialized event management companies deal with trade fair, exhibitions, conference, conventions, congress, political rally, and meetings of different scale and size.

Answer 29

Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) commission

Question 30

Travel agencies do the retailing of foreign currency directly to customers who plan to travel abroad

Answer 30

Transaction of foreign exchange commission

Question 31

They also earn commission from the wholesale foreign exchange dealer for the transactions of foreign currencies

Answer 31

Transaction of foreign exchange commission

Question 32

Travel agencies take the insurance services from insurance companies for package tours and suggest the clients to apply for an insurance policy covering medical aid in case of emergency

Answer 32

Insurance commission

Question 33

Travel agencies receive advance payments and they get time to rotate the money or go for term deposits for which they can get interest or make down payments for borrowing loans from banks.

Answer 33

Revenue from bank interests

Question 34

The concept of “travel now and pay later” has gained more leverage. With this, travel agencies get a percentage if their clients opt for card payment.

Answer 34

Revenue from card payments

Question 35

Organizational Structure of a Travel Agency

Answer 35

- Small-sized - Medium-sized - Large-sized

Question 36

has no more than 10 employees, with the manager supervising all the three (3) departments

Answer 36

Small-sized travel agency

Question 37

had about 20 or so employees, with three (3) department heads

Answer 37

Medium-sized travel agency

Question 38

has at least 30 employees headed by the managing director or a general manager—the former being a stockholder and member of the board of directors, the latter an employee

Answer 38

Large-sized travel agency